I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

I am such a sappy girl. And this is why I love Grey’s Anatomy! I’m so happy to have it back in my life. It’s been too long, gang, too too long.

One thing I love about that show is the friendship between Meredith and Christina. A good girlfriend is sometimes better than a man. Sometimes you just need your girl. And this whole episode was about female friendship and how important it is. We cannot get through the rough patches without hands to hold. And it is easier to cry when someone cries with us.

A close friend visited me last weekend, and we talked about what our friendship means to each of us. We laughed about all we’ve been through, and we grinned with the comfort of knowing that whatever is to come, we will have each other.

When you don’t feel strong, it helps to be with someone who loves you. Sometimes their presence alone bolsters you, and you know that you can survive. And sometimes you look in their eyes and can see a reflection of the strength that is in your heart and it helps you remember who you are.

I don’t know what it is that’s so special and unique about female friendship. It’s easier to be vulnerable around a woman. I am fortunate enough to have been deeply loved in my little life, but I don’t have a true love just yet. I’m not sure how that will compare to the friendships in my life. But I do know that there will always be things I can only talk about with my girlfriends.

There’s a recent trend in television, and much thanks for this goes to the Sex and the City girls. The trend is the focus on the endurance and power of female friendships. And this replaces the ugly images of catfights and backstabbing. It’s a positive representation of women and a true one. Finally, there’s something real about women on television that we can relate to.

I love my girlfriends, and here’s a list of the reasons why –

• They always notice when I change my hair and always tell me it looks great…even when it looks like I stuck my finger in a socket.

• They drink champagne with me because they understand that some days are just champagne days.

• They tell me it’s ok to cry and it’s ok not to cry.

• They never tell me when they don’t think my boyfriend is “the one,” but I know if we were to get engaged, they’d do the hard thing and be honest.

• They go shopping with me and never say things like, “Are you sure you need that super cute new handbag?” because they understand it's not about "need," it's about "want."

• When one of us needs to have ice cream for dinner, we’re always willing to take one for the team and indulge in some delicious cold treats.

• We’re willing to rearrange our lives to be there for each other.

• They tell off people that are mean to me – whether it’s an angry college football fan, a rude dude in a bar, a mutual friend or a boyfriend, they speak up for me even when I can’t speak up for myself.

• They always defend the silver lining when I can’t find one.

• They’re always supportive – of my bad hair, my skirt that’s too short, my lackluster boyfriend, my overcooked meat, but more importantly they’re especially supportive when I struggle with believing in myself.

• When I talk to them about a fight I had with someone, they tell me where both of us were wrong so that instead of supporting me blindly, they're challenging me to be a better person.

• They're always up for being goofy whether it's watching bad MTV shows all day like it's our job, driving to the beach at midnight to see the sunrise, stuffing our faces with a giant bag of chocolate popcorn, rolling a guy friend's car, getting drunk in the middle of the afternoon while playing a board game or anything else that may tickle our fancy. Girls do just want to have fun, after all.
  

• No matter what, we’re always on each other’s side.